World AIDS Day: Telenovelas and More

Multiple Ryan White agencies across the country are commemorating World AIDS Day through multimedia and other events under the theme "Working Together for an AIDS-Free Generation.” Here’s a sampling.

HIV Testing Videos

In Los Angeles, AltaMed (Ryan White Part C and D) is releasing a four-part telenovela series titled Sin Vergüenza (Without Shame) to promote HIV testing and entry to care for those who test positive. The first telenovela was featured at AltaMed’s November 30 World AIDS Day event.

AltaMed is Los Angeles County’s largest federally qualified health center (FQHC), providing primary care to a predominantly low-income Latino population. The Sin Vergüenza series is part of AltaMed’s routine testing initiative, which was implemented in all its sites across the county, with funding from multiple parties and training and technical assistance support from the Pacific AIDS Education and Training Center (AETC). The Pacific AETC, part of the Ryan White national clinical training program, has developed a series of testing policies, training workshops, and implementation tools.

Tom Donohoe, program director at the UCLA AETC, part of the Pacific AETC network, said, “As an AETC, we’ve invested a lot of time with HIV testing and want people to opt in to be tested, and we want to reach those who are most at risk. I think these videos will help tremendously in our efforts.” Of the video format, Donohoe noted, “It works well for low-income, urban audiences. With new media, people can view these at their convenience.”

Raising Awareness and Fighting Stigma

In addition to Los Angeles, many other communities are sponsoring World AIDS Day events.

World AIDS Day Detroit, in partnership with agencies such as Wayne State University (Ryan White Part C), is featuring the slogan “Get to Zero” (zero new infections, zero AIDS-related deaths, zero discrimination). Scheduled Detroit events are highlighted in their video and include a keynote address by Jeanne White-Ginder, Ryan’s mother, at the historic Renaissance Revival-style Fillmore Detroit theatre.

Philadelphia's Part A Office of HIV Planning has prepared a tool to help Philadelphians write blog postings for their World AIDS Day Blog Project. Read about it on the HIVPhilly Facebook page or go directly to the blog fill-out form to see how they are using the cloud to spread the message.

Hundreds of similar forums will be held around the country in conference rooms, churches, and government office buildings, including the Rockville, Maryland, headquarters of the Health Resources and Services Administration, which administers Ryan White and other safety-net health programs.

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Related Resources

Get Involved

World AIDS Day Resources from AIDS.GOV. There's a ton of material on this site: posters, logos, widgets, and a AIDS.gov social media toolkit. On Twitter? use #WAD2012 for your tweets and follow the TARGET Center at ryanwhitecare.

Facing AIDS

Individual Ryan White staffers (the one below and this one, as far as we know) are putting themselves out front, and not just for World AIDS Day, in the Facing AIDS photo campaign to reduce HIV/AIDS stigma.

Individual Ryan White staffers (this one and this one, as far as we know) are putting themselves out front, and not just for World AIDS Day, in the Facing AIDS photo campaign to reduce HIV/AIDS stigma.